Technology and Analysis of Archaeological Materials MSc

Scientific analysis is a key tool in the interpretation of archaeological assemblages. This MSc offers a detailed training in the use of scientific techniques for the analysis of inorganic archaeological materials and a solid background in the anthropology of technology allowing students to design and implement archaeologically meaningful scientific projects.

Key Information

Modes and duration

Full-time: 1 year

Part-time: 2 years

Tuition Fees (2015/16)

UK/EU:

£9,270 (FT)£4,635 (PT)

Overseas:

£17,510 (FT)£9,015 (PT)

Application deadlines

All applicants:

31 July 2015

Entry Requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant subject from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

English Language Requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

International students

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below.

Select your country:

International equivalencies

Degree Information

The Institute houses fine teaching and reference collections that aare extensively used by MSc students including ceramics, metals, stone artefacts and geological materials from around the world. In addition, the Institute has a wide network of connections to museums and ongoing projects offering researh opportunities for our MSc students.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of one core module (30 credits), four optional modules (60 credits) and a research dissertation (90 credits).

Core Modules

Technology and Analysis of Archaeological Materials

Options

Archaeological Ceramic Analysis

Archaeological Glass and Glazes

Archaeometallurgy 1: Mining and Extractive Metallurgy

Archaeometallurgy 2: Metallic Artefacts

Dendrochronology and Tree-ring Studies

Experimental Archaeology

Geoarchaeology: Methods and Concepts

Interpreting Pottery

Lithic Archaeology

Technology in Society: Archaeology and Ethnography in the Andes

Dissertation/report

All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 15,000 words.

Teaching and Learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical demonstrations and laboratory work. A popular aspect of this programme is its extensive use of analytical facilities. Assessment is through essays, practicals, projects, laboratory reports and oral presentations depending on the options chosen, and the dissertation.

Funding

UK and EU students are eligible to apply for Arts and Humanities Research Council funding.

ACE Master's Scholarship: to support a student from a newer EU country applying to study on a technical or applied Master's course.

Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed below. For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

Careers

Given our strong emphasis on research training, many of our MSc graduates takeon further research positions after their degree, and over half of our MSc students go on to conducting PhD research. Their projects are generally concerned with the technology and/or provenance of ceramics, metals or glass in different regions and periods, but most of them involve scientific approaches in combination with traditional fieldwork and/or experimental archaeology.

Employability

Our graduates develop an unusual combination of research and transferable skills, including critical abilities, team working, multimedia communication, numerical thinking and the use of advanced analytical instruments. This is thanks to an unparalleled breadth of academic experise and laboratory facilities. By the end of the degree, graduates should be as comfortable in a laboratory as in a museum and or an archaeological site. They become acquainted with research design and impementation, ethical issues and comparative approaches to world archaeology through direcr exposure to an enormous variety of projects. The range of options available allows students to tailor their pathways towards different career prospects in archaeology and beyond.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Institute of Archaeology is the largest and most diverse department of archaeology in the UK, and provides a stimulating environment for postgraduate study.

The excellent in-house laboratory facilities will provide direct experience of a wide range of techniques, including electron microscopy and microprobe analysis, fixed and portable X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, infra-red spectroscopy, petrography and metallography under the supervision of some of the world's leading specialists.

Application and next steps

Applications

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

Who can apply?

The programme is designed for graduates in archaeology or related disciplines with an interest in scientific methods. It is also suitable for conservators and others concerned with archaeological collections, and for science graduates who have, or are willing to acquire, a good understanding of archaeology.